Assam flood situation remains grim

Morigaon(Assam), Sep 6: More than a million people have been affected by floods in Assam after the Brahmaputra burst its banks. So far, 15 people have been killed and 300,000 acres of farmland submerged. The Morigaon district of the State has been reeling under floodwaters for the last seven days and the water level is still increasing.

"We are not getting proper facilities. Our cattle have been washed away and our houses are under water. Bihar has received a lot of aid but not much has reached here," said Anup Baglari, a flood victim.

Heavy rains caused water levels in the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries to rise above danger level, forcing animals in wildlife sanctuaries to flee to higher ground.

Villagers have been forced to take shelter on the roadside along with their children and livestock.

"Our cultivatable land has been ruined. It is very difficult to stay on the roadside," said Junali Das, another victim.

The waist-deep flood waters engulfed 167 villages with a population of 1.5 lakh and was threatening fresh areas in the island, which houses several 'satras' (Vaishnavite monasteries).

The authorities were forced to shift 34 prisoners from Goramur sub-divisional jail to Jorhat central jail following the inundation in Majuli.

The situation in lower Assam's Rangiya sub-division too is critical following breaches in four embankments of the Puthimari river.

The situation in the Kaziranga National Park, famed for its one-horned rhinos, is also critical with more than 50 percent of the park area under flood waters.